No Matter What
by darylscarol
Summary: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR 6X16. Set straight after the encounter with Negan, Glenn was Negan's chosen victim and Daryl finally learns that Carol has left and he sets out on a journey to find her and comes across some things along the way. Own characters will be introduced and characters from the comics. Rated T for language and some potential adult themes later on.
1. Chapter 1

**CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR 6X16!**

 **Set straight after the** encounter **with Negan. Daryl finally finds out that Carol has gone and he sets out on his long journey to find her. I will add in some of my own characters at some point and characters from the comics. Hope you enjoy! I'm open to suggestions so leave a review or send me a message.**

"You work for me now Rick, no more shit games," Negan growled, stepping over the body that was lying limp on the floor. Negan, held Lucille, his barb wired bat, under Rick's chin, lifting it so he looked him in the eye. "Go. Get out of here. I'll be seeing you around Rick." Negan turned on his heel and whistled to his men, who climbed in the vehicles and drove off.

A tear rolled down Rick's cheek as he shuffled over to the body who's skull had been smashed. Maggie was hysterical, tears streaming down her face and her body shaking. Michonne held her whilst she cried. Glenn's lifeless body lay in the shadows. Daryl sniffed and the tears fell, the rest of the group all following close behind.

"No no no," cried Rick rolling onto his back and crying some more. Daryl patted him on the shoulder, using whatever little energy he had left to comfort his friend and brother. Daryl stood and removed the blanket that was wrapped around his shoulders, he winced at the pain from his gunshot wound. He laid the blanket down over Glenn's body while Abraham wrapped Glenn in it. Aaron and Abraham lifted Glenn's body and carried him to the RV, lying him down on the small couch.

"Come on," said Michonne taking Maggie's hand and helping her to her feet. "Rick, we've got to get to the Hilltop, Maggie is getting worse and Daryl is bleeding out," she explained to Rick calmly, trying to remain strong as a tear rolled down her cheek. Rick stood, his knees wobbling, he didn't know how to process what had just happened, all he knew what they he'd made a mistake trying to take on the saviours, Negan was something else, powerful and dangerous, something to fear.

The group piled into the RV and collapsed, Maggie coughed, her fever getting higher by the second. Michonne held Maggie's head on her shoulder, trying to avoid letting her look at Glenn covered by the blanket, blood already beginning to stain it. Abraham took the wheel, Rick and Daryl sat upfront with him. Daryl leant his head against the window and all the colour was draining out of his face, his shoulder was bleeding badly, his hands covered in his blood where he had tried to stop the bleeding. No one said a word the entire journey. Rick felt as if he had failed the group, there was nothing he could have done to stop Negan doing what he did but he still felt to blame.

"It's my fault," croaked Daryl, his eyes shut and forehead against the window.

"Nah, it ain't," responded Rick wiping his nose on his sleeve.

"It is. I shouldn't have left Alexandria. If I hadn't left, Glenn wouldn't have caught. He would still be alive," said Daryl as he wiped the tear from his cheek. Rick was sitting there blaming himself but turns out Daryl was also blaming himself.

"Negan would've found us eventually. And it isn't your fault." Rick placed his hand on Daryl's forearm. Daryl drifted in and out of consciousness during the entire journey to the hilltop, he was convicted they stopped for gas but he couldn't remember.

Daryl's eyes flickered open and a ray of light shone against his chest, warming him slightly. He stirred, looking around, his gaze shifting from the bookshelf in the corner, to the surgical equipment on the table and the figure sat in the chair next to him. It was Rick.

"Hey, said Rick leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"How long have I been out?" queried Daryl sitting upright, avoiding putting too much pressure on his shoulder. A clean white bandage was tied neatly over where he had been shot.

"About 72 hours, you're a tough son of a bitch, you know." said Rick stroking his beard and then running a hand through his hair.

"I ain't shit," Daryl mumbled. Then an image of Glenn and Negan flashed through his head and he blinked hard trying to clear it from his mind. "How's Maggie?" he asked trying to change the subject slightly.

"Better, still weak but she's ok, so is the baby." Daryl nodded and looked down at his hands and twirled his thumbs. The look of sorrow was still flooded on Rick's face, his breathing was soft but fast. He rubbed his face and then passed Daryl the glass of water that was on his bedside. Daryl took it from him and drank.

"The others?" asked Daryl, wanting to avoid the awkward silence. Daryl didn't look at Rick, he wanted to avoid all unnecessary pain and sadness. Daryl's eyelids were heavy and his brow was relaxed but beads of sweat pooled under his fringe.

"They've gone home. Maggie is still here obviously, Aaron stayed behind to keep an eye on her."

Daryl just nodded his head again not really knowing what to say or how to respond. All he could feel was a guilt pooling in his lower stomach making him feel sick. "Is Carol ok?" asked Daryl, looking up at Rick from under his fringe. Daryl sensed from the expression on his face that something was very wrong. He knew that Rick was still feeling the aftershock of Negan but the mention of Carol's name caused Rick to tense up and start sweating. "Rick?" Daryl said again, his head leaning back against the pillow, facing Rick.

"She's gone Daryl."

Daryl felt has if he had been hit by a bus. His heart quickened and his breathing became erratic, lots of emotions overcame him at once, it was a mixture of anger, sadness, regret and guilt all mixed together to form a feeling of something awful. "Where.." Daryl started before choking slightly on his words.

"She left Alexandria. She left a note for Tobin saying that she was leaving and that she didn't want anyone to come looking for her. Morgan and I went looking for her, Morgan continued on her trail.." Rick's voice trailed off. Daryl was pissed, he could see it in his body language, biceps were tensed and his fist very balled up tight, the colour draining from his knuckles. "Neither of them have returned yet," said Rick looking at Daryl.

"She..? She left? And who the fuck is Tobin?" Daryl snapped, he was so worried, and panicked, he didn't know what to do. Daryl leapt out of the bed, unhooking himself from the drip in his arm and placed a clean shirt over his head, and putting his belt back on.

"Daryl wait-"

"You didn't think to tell me she'd gone?!" he demanded, standing very close to Rick who was now standing. Daryl's chest was heavy, his breathing forceful and the artery in his neck was pulsing strongly.

"You had left to go looking for Dwight before we found out she was gone," Rick explained, trying to calm Daryl's rage. Rick knew that Daryl would throw a fit when he found out so he had prepared himself for it. Rick knew that Daryl loved Carol, whether or not he cared to admit it but he did and it was obvious. Any mention of Carol and Daryl is watching like a hawk and becomes very protective of her.

Daryl turned on his heel and shoved his boots on and started tying up his laces, avoiding the throbbing pain from his shoulder. There was a polite knock at the door and Jesus entered carrying a small tray of food. He paused in the doorway, taking in the sight before him. Daryl had been out cold for days, he didn't know whether or not he'd wake up and now he was on his feet, already dressed and his face was red with rage. "You need to stay in bed, you'll rip out your stitches," said Jesus in a calm voice trying not to anger him further.

"Screw you," said Daryl shoving passed Jesus, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Daryl!" shouted Rick chasing after him.

Daryl marched out of the mansion of the hilltop, placing his leather vest on. Daryl grabbed whatever weapons he could find, 2 knives and a hand gun. Dwight had his crossbow and that made his blood boil. Carol and his crossbow were two things of Daryl's that you should never touch, as well as his bike. Not that Carol was his but he was so protective over her.

Daryl walked hastily towards the gates of the Hilltop before Rick stopped in front of him, placing a hand on his chest trying to hold him back.

"Look, I know there is no way of stopping you, because I know you'd do anything for her, but let me help," said Rick, Daryl blushed slightly when he realised that Rick was aware of how close him and Carol were. Daryl calmed a little and was shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

Rick gave Daryl the location of where they had last suspected Carol to be before handing him a bag with some more ammo, fresh bandages and some food. Daryl gave Rick a thankful look and brushed the hair out of his face.

"Thanks," said Daryl, walking round Rick and out the gates of the Hilltop. Rick sighed and watched him leave, he thought it was a stupid idea for him to leave and go search for her on his own but Rick knew that when it came to Carol, Daryl would never give up.


	2. Chapter 2

**So here we have it, chapter 2! Glad you're liking it so far! So here we have Daryl just doing his thaaaang, you know Daryl stuff. ENJOY!**

Daryl trudged through the long grass, the dew dampening his jeans. The sun was just coming up, the air was fresh and crisp. I missed the weight off his crossbow on his shoulder, he felt lost without it. It was unusually quiet that morning, he hadn't seen a single walked and the only sounds came from the crickets in the grass.

Daryl came to a road on the other side of the the field he had just crossed. He paused, looking down at the ground where a dark shape stained the tarmac. Blood. A few days old maybe, he followed the direction in which the blood was going and followed the road, his shoulder throbbed and ached, with every step sending shooting pains all down his body. "Son of a bitch," he muttered to himself as another shot of pain cut through him.

The sun was now high in the sky, it was about midday and he saw some cars up ahead parked in the middle of the road. One of the cars was small and black in colour with spikes sticking out of it. Carol. He thought, she must have used this car to get away from Alexandria before she ran into some trouble. There was a few dead bodies scattered around, some pools of blood where bodies had been lying but turned and then moved on. A snarl came from behind him, Daryl spun round, reaching for his crossbow and then realising it wasn't there "shit," he muttered then pulled out a knife from his pocket and stabbed the walker in the temple before watching it fall limply to the ground. The image of Glenn on the floor having his head smashed overcame Daryl and he dropped to the floor and started crying. He just let the tears fall, knowing that no one was around to judge him. He was done with losing people. He sort of understood why Carol wanted to leave but he wished she's told him and he would've gone with her. Daryl sniffed and wiped his nose on his arm and hauled himself off the floor and onto his feet.

"Stop being such a pussy," said Daryl out loud, reassuring himself that he was still alive. He collected his bag off the floor and put the gun in his belt and continued walking. Rick had told him about the car and directed him which way to go after that so Daryl obeyed and walked off through the field where Morgan and Rick had walked. It had been a few days since Carol had left so there wouldn't be many tracks left for Daryl to follow but he would certainly never give up, no matter what.

Daryl reached the barn where Morgan and Rick had let that guy run off, bodies or walkers were dropped everywhere, the flies hovering around them and the smell was empowering. He scrunched his nose in a pathetic attempt to avoid the smell. He withdrew his gun from his belt and cocked it, ready to fire if necessary. He circled the barn and scoped out the area before entering. He heard a few groans come from inside but only one or two walkers were inside to he entered taking them down with his knife. Propped up against the far wall were some weapons, a larger gun, some more knives, a machete and a couple of spears. The spears looked much like the ones that the hilltop made, he picked one up and twirled it in his fingers "For The K-" was carved into the wood at the top of the spear near the blade. Daryl removed the red rag from his the back pocket of his jeans and wiped the dried blood off. "For The Kingdom, Forever Our Ally" it read, he strained his eyes, brushing his sweaty fringe out of his eyes. He gathered up the guns and took one spear, not that he knew how to use it but it looks as if it was made by the Hilltop for supposedly another settlement known as the Kingdom. He walked out the doors and started off in the direction of some tracks he hopes were made by Morgan.

Daryl finally reached a small town, there were quite a few walkers about but nothing he couldn't handle and provided he was quiet, shouldn't be a problem. There was a library nearby and scattered outside were bodies of walkers, been dead a few days but were recent kills, someone had been here recently. There was dried blood on the wall near the door where someone had been leaning against it, he examined it, and although it was dried and fading slightly, it was human blood, not walker blood. Walker blood was darker in colour and not as sticky. He held his gun up, pushing the door open with the tip of it. The building was clear. He closed the door and locked it, deciding that this would be a nice place to camp for the night. In the corner of one of the rooms, he found some used bits of cotton wool with dried blood on and a small pool of blood. Someone was injured and either fixed themselves or someone helped them out. Daryl propped the pillows on the floor up against the wall and he removed his leather vest and shirt. There was blood on his bandage, he had managed to rip a stitch out when killing off those walkers. He removed the dressing and replaced it with one that Rick had packed for him and then shoved some beef jerky into his mouth, chewing loudly. He lay on the floor, the pillow cradling his head and fell into a deep sleep.

Daryl jolted upright and groaned as the stitches in his shoulder ripped his skin. He was sweating and breathing heavily. Thoughts of Negan and the death of Glenn circled his brain, spiralling him into confusion. He hugged his knees into his chest and rested his forehead against them. When he recovered he clambered on his knees. His shoulder was burning, it felt like it had been set on fire and people were stabbing the area with pins. He collected his things and looked around the room. The sun wasn't up fully yet but there was enough light for him to notice a hair that was on the pillow he's used. It was short and grey, silvery almost, definitely not one of his. Carol. His heart jumped, it must've been Carol, Carol had been here. Not for a few days but she'd been here and she was injured. Daryl went into panic mode and scrambled up on his feet, flinging his bag over is uninjured shoulder and picking up his gun and the spear. Daryl rushed outside looking for clues, he had no idea where she had gone and in what direction. He scanned the area, all of the dead walkers. One walker was in a heap on the floor after falling from a height, obviously hung himself when he was alive and then turned. The rope around his neck had be cut, with a knife or something of that sort. Daryl thought long and hard, someone must be with Carol, maybe Morgan found her. Carol wouldn't have bothered climbing up to kill a walker that wasn't doing any harm, someone like Morgan however, probably would. Daryl thought back to the church when the group was discussing taking out the saviours and Morgan was talking about how all life in precious, "bullshit." said Daryl thinking about Morgan's philosophy. He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky which was a beautiful pink and orange colour as the sun started to rise. Daryl found a hoof print in the dirt by the library. One of them had a horse. He looked at the direction the track was pointed and started in that direction, Daryl figured that was his best bet. Sudden dread came over Daryl that he was on the wrong trail and it was leading him somewhere dark and he wondered whether that was even Carol's hair at all. Pushing the negative thoughts aside, he started forward hoping he'd find a sign that she was still alive.

Daryl had a lot of time to think things over as he walked down the road. He thought about Denise, how he had failed to protect her and his blood boiled at the thought of Dwight and how Daryl had tried to help him but instead, Dwight stole his bike, his crossbow, killed Denise, captured Glenn and Michonne, shot him in the shoulder and stole his crossbow again. He raged, his cheeks burning hot and his fists turning white as he clenched them hard. He let out a long breath and calmed himself, he let his mind drift to Carol. He smiled a little at the thought of her, her name, her eyes, the way she looked out for him, her gentle touch, her body. His mind drifted. He wished he had had the courage a while ago to tell her how he felt about her when he had the chance. But Daryl being Daryl was too shy and too proud to admit that he could have sappy feelings for someone. He had never cared this much for anyone before in his life and it pulled on his heart strings. Daryl hadn't been paying attention to where he was walking at jumped at something thumped a couple of metres ahead of him.

Finally paying attention, Daryl listened and a snarl came from inside the blue container. Just a walker. There was a walker lying dead on the floor with the skin of it's skull half pulled off, this kill had been a struggle he thought. Maybe it was Carol who killed it, she must've struggled if she was injured. Lying not far away was the body of a man. He hadn't turned as what killed him had been a gunshot to the head. He examined the body, he had several gun shots wounds on him, he had been shot several times before the bullet entered his head. He saw the man's gun and lifted it, taking a close look at the handle. Carved into the handle was a baseball bat with barbed wire wrapped around it. He instantly dropped it and took a step back, he gasped and tried to steady his breathing. The dead man was a saviour. Thoughts of Negan came flooding to him again and he couldn't shift them. His body started shaking, his muscles contracting rapidly. Daryl called himself and took another look around at his surrounding. There were to spots of blood on the ground lying not far away from the saviour. He looked at the spots, embedded in the tarmac were two bullets, someone had been shot twice. Daryl stood up and thought of all the possible things that could've happened at the scene. There wasn't enough blood on the floor to suggest that the person who had been shot had bled out and turned, still though, dread surged through him, what if Carol had been shot and she'd turned. His heart was racing again and tears started building in his eyes. Daryl wasn't much of a crier but he'd done a lot of crying recently, everything that has gone on had all happened so fast and this was obviously the delayed reaction to the trauma he'd been through. He fought back the tears, not allowing himself the satisfaction of crying again.

Droplets of blood let Daryl off the road, where he found a series of hoof prints, the same size as the ones he'd seen at the library. Only this time, there were boot marks as well and another set of good prints. He examined the boot prints. There was one print that caught his eye, one that was familiar, as if he'd seen it before. Carol...

• END OF CHAPTER!

Sorry if there's any typos by the way :') Don't forget to leave a review!


	3. Chapter 3

She was here. She was alive when she was here. Thought Daryl, scanning the ground for more tracks, from the look of the tracks, Daryl established that her right leg had been injured and she was bleeding as the track from her right foot dragged through the dirt. He looked around frantically, hoping for another sign, anything at all. "Carol!" screamed Daryl, not caring if anyone or anything heard him. The tracks were a few days old and beginning to fade but he took off in the direction the tracks were headed and moved quickly, adrenaline pumping through him, alleviating the pain from his shoulder.

Daryl, out of breath and his gunshot wound bleeding again, collapsed to the floor trying to catch his breath. He had been running, for ages. It must've been equivalent of about half a marathon, possibly more. He was burnt out, his heart was almost exploding out of his chest and his lungs felt as if they were about to burst. He guzzled down some water thirstily and looked up at the sky which was starting to grey over. The droplets of blood that he had been following were becoming less so the bleeding must've slowed, thankfully, he could still make out the hoof and foot prints. Composing himself, Daryl got to his feet and started off again, wanting to try and catch up as much as possible before nightfall.

There were about 6 hours left of daylight left but the sky was turning darker and darker, the clouds rolling and rumbling above him. Daryl paused, listening to the thunder as is grew louder. "For fuck sake," muttered Daryl as a drop of rain fell on his forearm, followed by a few more before the rain was hammering down hard. "No, no.." Daryl trailed off, watching the tracks wash away from the ground in front of him. "You son of a bitch," he mumbled, walking in a straight line, trying to not lose the tracks. His shoulder was bleeding badly, he felt the stickiness of blood on his chest and the rain dampened him, sending shivers through his body.

He came across an abandoned house and entered, escaping the rain. The house was dark and quiet, he scoped the house checking for walkers before locking the front door and settling on the couch in the living room. He pulled back his vest and shirt to look at his shoulder, "shit," cursed Daryl, all of the stitches had come out and blood was slowly flowing out. Daryl lay on the couch and fell asleep, cold and exhausted. He had blisters on his feet from running all day and his muscles ached even when he lay still.

Daryl woke, the sun was high in the sky, with a few clouds dotted here and there. Judging from the position of the sun, it was about one in the afternoon, Daryl had slept for a long time, too long he thought. He got up and went outside to set some traps in the hope of catching a rabbit or something as his stomach growled at him, his hands shaking from lack of food and loss of blood.

The day was slow. He made the decision to stay another night and start up again tomorrow, his body was too limp and exhausted to travel. He managed to catch himself two rabbits and began cooking one in the fireplace of the living room he was staying in. The fire warmed the room and lit the walls up with an orange colour. He stared into the flames an thought back to their first night at the prison. Carol had brought him some dinner and he'd rubbed her back to ease her aching shoulders and she'd teased him a little. He missed that, the joking, the smiles, the laughter, it was simpler back then, before everything went to shit.

The next morning, Daryl cooked himself the other rabbit and ate it greedily before gathering his belongings and setting off again. He didn't know which way Carol was or where he was going to start looking but he turned in the direction he thought they were heading and started walking. His shoulder was numb from the pain and it was still bleeding, slower but still bleeding. The sky was grey but Daryl was in good spirits, he was well rested and fed and had hope that he'd find her.

Daryl trekked through the woods, listening to the satisfying noise of twigs breaking under his steps. A walker came out from a tree in front of him and using the spear, he skewered it straight through the skull. Another one appeared behind him, snarling at him. "Oh piss off!" said Daryl, angered at the walker's existence. One day without walkers, just one day, thought Daryl, putting down the second one. He winced at the pain in his shoulder and sucked in some air strongly. Daryl searched the pockets of the dead walkers and found a packet of cigarettes and a lighter, "finally, something good to come out of a shitty day, thanks mate," gesturing his comment to the walker lying on the floor. He placed the cigarette between his chapped lips and lit it, inhaling the fumes as he did so. Daryl turned, walking further and further out and away from Alexandria and the Hilltop.

X

How long had it been? Daryl thought, sitting with his back up against a tree. His shoulder had become completely numb and unusable. His whole shoulder and the top of his arm had turned a gross purple colour, the blood surrounding the wound was dark red in colour and the skin around it was swollen. Daryl looked up at the sky from under his fringe and wished that Negan had taken him instead of Glenn. Glenn's death still haunted Daryl, he still had nightmares and awful flashbacks to that night. No matter how hard he tried to shake away the thoughts, they always came flooding back like tidal waves of sadness and sorrow. Daryl clutched the spear in his left hand and watched at the colour drained out of his knuckles. Daryl was losing hope, his body was weak, most likely dying, he had no trail to follow and he was lost, he didn't know where the hell he was. He was always such a good hunter but he'd lost his bearings. He'd been out searching for Carol for about 2 and a half weeks. He was tired, hungry and sad, he was helpless.

Daryl watched as a walker, who's guts were hanging out, started approaching him. He waited until it was close enough and he positioned the spear so that the walker feel on it. "Oh shit," said Daryl as about a dozen walkers were hobbling towards him. He used his good arm to pull himself up onto his feet. No way could he take on that many walkers with only one arm. He grabbed the spear and started moving, he was slow and weak, not getting anywhere very fast. They were just behind him when one came out from behind a tree, startling him and knocking him to the ground, he reached for the gun out of his belt and fired, the body falling limply on top of him. The sound sent his ears ringing and his vision went blurry, the last thing he saw before falling unconscious was a walker's hand reaching for him. Then everything went black.


	4. Chapter 4

**Things get a little more interesting in this chapter! A new character is introduced! ENJOY! Don't forget to leave a review! :)**

The right side of his body was warm. His ears had stopped ringing but his head was throbbing and the pain from his shoulder pierced through him. His eyes flickered open, looking up at the sky, it was dark and the sky was clear, giving him a view of the stars. He turned his head to the warmth, there was a campfire biting next to him. His head was propped up on a jacket and he noticed he was shirtless. He looked down at his wound which had been cleaned and had a dressing placed over it. He sat up, cringing as the agonising pain from his shoulder sliced through him. Daryl felt as if eyes were on him, he looked forward and saw two very large wolf like dogs staring at him. He reached for a stick and chucked it was all of his strength in the direction of the dogs "shoo!" he yelled as the dogs scattered. The breath was suddenly drained out of him and he cried out in pain, there was pressure being applied to his gunshot. When the pressure released, he gasped for breath and turned, rolling onto his knees. He looked up at the figure standing in front of him. They were wiping Daryl's blood off their fingers. "Try that again... and I will kill you. They ain't done a thing to you," said the person, the voice was a woman's. She stepped forward so that the light from the fire hit her face and the shadows danced over her features. She had hair that waved down to the bottom of her ribcage. She had a few small braids in her hair that had beads and ribbons woven in, her lips were full and pink and she had high sharp cheekbones. Daryl looked down at the ground gathering his breath. She knelt down in front of him, grabbing his chin with her hand and forcing his face up to look at her. "Those animals saved your weak ass, at least show them a bit of respect," she said her soft accent rolling off her lips. She released Daryl's face and stood. Daryl stood up as quickly as he could and balled his hand into a fist and went to punch her. She caught his fist and twisted his arm, causing him to drop to his knees. "If you want to start a fight, at least make your first punch a good one," she said smirking at him under her grip, she was strong, very strong for a woman. She released Daryl's wrist and stepped back, "here," she said throwing a clean shirt at him before sitting down on the opposite side of the fire. Daryl hesitated before slipping the shirt on and buttoning it. His body ached all over and now his wrist was bruised. The dogs lay down next to the woman, their eyes never leaving Daryl. "They're wolfdogs, part wolf, part dog, very loyal animals," she said stroking the large grey one which rested it's head on her lap. The black wolfdog continued staring straight at Daryl. "Oh and by the way, you need to work on your punching technique, it's shocking. So, you got a name?" she queried. She was intimidating and had a lot of presence about her.

"Daryl," he muttered, his lips were chapped and dry making speech difficult. He sensed that she was not someone to be messed with and he hated to admit it to himself but she saved him and he didn't have the energy to fight her.

"I'm Cassie," she said tilting her head at him and examining him. "That's infected, you'll need to get that looked at or you'll be taking a trip up shit creek," she said gesturing to his messed up shoulder. "What happened to you?" she asked, her voice suddenly softer and more friendly.

"Shit happened, Negan-"

"You work for Negan?!" she was on her feet, gun cocked at him, her expression full of rage, eyes wide and her chest rising quickly.

"You know Negan?" asked Daryl breathing deeply, his head wobbling slightly as a flashback of Glenn came back to him.

"That bastard killed my whole family with a fucking bat!" Cassie screamed at him, tears coating her eyes, her hand started shaking under the grip she had on the gun. "It was just my best friend and I that escaped, until we got separated..." she trailed off, her bottom lip quivering.

"Nah, I don't work for that shithead." said Daryl. Cassie lowered her gun and sat back down between the dogs who were now up and alert. "We made a deal with another settlement that'd we take out Negan and his men if they gave us food, we were desperate."

"Your group tried to take out Negan?" She was smirking at him now, "stupidest thing I've ever heard. Why would you agree to that? How big is your group? There's nearly 100 saviours." Cassie was confused as to why anyone would willingly go up against Negan.

"We underestimated how many there were, we cleared out one of his compounds. Negan got pissed, tormented our group, killed one of us, one of my friends, he was like a brother to me," a tear rolled down his face as he thought of Glenn. Daryl shocked himself and realised that he'd been opening to this stranger, he'd been alone so long that he didn't even care, he wanted someone to talk to.

"Sorry," replied Cassie, feeling guilty. "Do you escape then like I did?"

"Nah, he let the rest of us go, he said he'd be back to collect our supplies, apparently we now work for him. I'm out here looking for someone.." Daryl let his sentence roll off into an abyss as he thought about Carol, he had no idea where she was or even if she was alive.

Cassie reached for her rucksack and pulled out some cans of beans and chucked him one. He opened it up and shovelled the beans into his mouth. Changing the conversation, Cassie piped up whilst eating her beans "where did you find this?" she said, her brow was soft and her blue eyes full of upset as she held up the spear.

"Found it in a barn, belongs to a settlement called the Hilltop," said Daryl, chewing with his mouth open.

"I know," said Cassie before going silent, she looked down at the can in her hand and then at the black dog that was gazing at her. Daryl looked at her from under his fringe, he was confused. "You been trading with the Hilltop?" continued Cassie.

"Yeah, told us about Negan's compound," Negan's name tasted sour on Daryl's lips. "Some asshole who calls himself Jesus, helped us out." Cassie's face lit up, her eyes telling a completely different story, she looked happy. "What?"

"Jesus is alive?!" she hurried the words out of her mouth.

"He was two and a half weeks ago." Cassie smiled and let out a sigh of relief.

"We need to go, eat up." Cassie shot to her feet, packing her belongings into her bag and throwing Daryl's bag to him, followed by his leather vest. She brushed dirt over the fire with her foot, putting the fire out. Daryl struggled to his feet putting on his vest and hoisting the rucksack onto his back with his good arm. "We'll get you back, you can see our doctor. We're always taking in new people so you're welcome to stay."

"Thanks but ain't going with you," said Daryl. "I've got shit to sort out."

"Your shoulder needs looking at. After you're fixed and I've spoken with Jesus, I will personally help you find your friend." Cassie said her voice genuine.

The sun was starting to rise and Daryl could see her face better. Cassie was probably no older than 25, she wore tight fitting clothing and her arms were strong and toned. Her eyes were surrounded by dark black eyeliner that flicked outwards, giving her a threatening cat eye look. Cassie was scarier than she looked but could definitely kick ass. Daryl looked down at the ground and his attention then focused back on his shoulder. It was bad, the infection would probably kill him eventually. Daryl found it hard trusting people but he didn't really have a choice in that moment and if things did take a turn for the worst, Daryl would deal with it just like he always does.

•END OF CHAPTER•

Hope you're all enjoying it so far! Can Daryl trust Cassie? We shall see.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! So here's the next chapter! Sorry I didn't post sooner, been a little tied up, anyway, here it is! Hope you enjoy! Sorry if there's any typos :')**

Daryl retied his shoe laces, his fingers trembling as the waves of pain from his infected shoulder shot through him. He stood and looked up, brushing his hair out of his eyes. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side. Cassie really was something else. He looked at her confused and then around the little camp.

"Where were you hidin' that?" He questioned, still confused.

"Had to keep her hidden, didn't know if I could trust you," she said not looking at him and fiddling with the saddle straps. Daryl was wobbling on his legs, he thought his knees were going to collapse from under him. He motioned towards towards Cassie and the large black horse that she had somehow managed to hide. Cassie scanned over his confused expression and one corner of her mouth upturned, smirking at him. "She wasn't hidden Daryl, she was stood behind that tree, it was dark, you just couldn't see her," she smirked again, the confusion leaving his face a little. "Get up," she said to him harshly.

"I ain't getting on no horse," scowled Daryl.

"Get on the damn horse Daryl," she responded in a slightly threatening way. "You can't walk, it'll take us at least a day to get back."

Daryl nodded. She was right, he wouldn't make it, he would just collapse and die. He mustered all the strength he had left and hauled himself up. The horse fidgeted under the new pressure on her back. "Her name's Veena. You treat her nice," she said turning and clipping a rope to the horse's bridle. Cassie didn't trust Daryl not to ride off on her horse so she was being careful. She started walking and tugged gently on the rope and Veena followed in suit. Cassie whistled to the dogs to follow who shortly ended up walking in front of them, sniffing the ground as they went, ears pricked and attentive. Daryl's eyes were heavy and his hips rocked from side to side as Veena moved along, the motion was making him sleepy.

"You some crazy animal lady or somethin'," finally asked Daryl, breaking the silence and trying to keep himself awake. She laughed at him, eyes still facing forward and reached up and patted Veena's neck.

"Nah, we all head out on horseback, it's our main method of transport and the dogs, they were mine before the turn," she said, her voice not expressing any emotion at all. Daryl had a good judgement of people but Cassie was someone he still had yet to figure out.

"So who is 'we'?" asked Daryl.

"So many questions Daryl." Daryl snarled at her comment and slumped further into the seat of the saddle. "The Kingdom. We call it The Kingdom. And you think I'm some kind of crazy animal person, just you wait until you meet our leader and his pet, she's an extraordinary animal." said Cassie, her voice still expressionless but her face smiling but he couldn't see.

Daryl didn't know whether or not she was joking, she could be leading him into a trap but he didn't care, he was nearly dead anyway. "We have a population that's probably double that of the Hilltop. We ride horses, we use spears, not that I choose too, I'm a fan of knives," she said turning to face him, walking backwards and lifting her shirt over her belt to reveal that she was wearing another belt stocked with knives of all shapes and sizes. She turned and continued walking. "He fighters also wear body armour, once again though, I chose not to, I ain't got time for that restricting shit." Daryl snorted slightly, letting out a small laugh. "Something funny?" she queried.

"Don't know whether you're jokin', sounds fucking weird." muttered Daryl, his words slurring a little. Cassie just shook her head and they trudged along for a few hours.

Hours passed and they hadn't seen a single walker, the woods were quiet today, too quiet thought Daryl his gaze hanging lazily between the horses ears. The dogs stopped suddenly and crouched low, their heckles standing up on end. Cassie let go on the rope on Veena and hung it over her neck. She removed a knife from her belt and held it ready. Right on queue thought Daryl as two walkers appeared, snarling and groaning. Cassie threw her knife with force and it planted itself perfectly in the centre of the walker's forehead and then she pulled out another knife and repeated it with the other walker, hitting it in the exact same place. Daryl's brows were raised slightly, he didn't know whether he was in shock, or awe or just dying. Cassie pulled the knives out of the skulls and wiped them clean on her skinny jeans and placed them back in her belt. She looked up at Daryl and walked back to towards Veena and took the rope and continued walking. "I never miss, just warning if you ever wanted to try anything stupid," she said giving him a side glare, her voice was sharp and she meant business. Daryl wasn't scared of much or a lot of people but Cassie was scary, scary in an intimidating and 'don't fuck with me' kind of way.

Night fell pretty quick, they had been walking since sunrise, not that Daryl was walking but it took every effort not to fall over and roll off the horse. Daryl saw a small light in the distance, followed then by another few. He allowed time for his eyes to adjust and then he could make out the shape of a building. It looked like an old elementary school building and walls had been put up around it, similar to the walls of Alexandria. They neared the gates and Daryl saw more armoured men on horse back guarding the gate. They stopped at the gate and Cassie looked up at one of them "Cassandra," said the man. She nodded at him in return. Once inside the gates, Daryl looked around, there were several school buses which appeared to act as another barrier.

"Welcome to The Kingdom, asshole," she said holding Veena as Daryl clumsily slid off, his knees buckling as he hit the ground, he held the saddle for a few moment trying not to collapse. An armoured man came towards them and took Veena from Cassie. "Can you get Veena and the boys some food and water, I've got to get him to Polly," said Cassie. The man didn't say a thing, just nodded and almost bowed at her.

"What are you? Queen or somethin'?" asked Daryl, using the rest of his strength to mock her, it was worth it, he felt proud. She stepped up, sizing him up, she was right in his space, he could feel the heat radiating off her body.

"I will beat your ass," she said glaring at him. "Follow me." He complied and followed her into the school.

They reached a room that was filled with single beds that were separated by curtains, much like a hospital ward. A small older woman appeared holding a pillow and a bottle of medicine of some kind.

"Hi Polly," said Cassie, Daryl was shocked by the softness of her voice. "This man needs medical attention asap." The older woman known as Polly scanned over him, stopping his shoulder where his shirt was blood stained.

"Of course Cass," said the older lady, her British accent rolling off her chapped lips. Polly gestured to Daryl to sit on the bed, Polly reached for the buttons on his shirt and he flinched away. "It's ok-" she stopped, shaking her head and smiling, "I'm sorry I don't know your name."

"Daryl," he croaked before relaxing a little bit. Polly removed his shirt and examined his shoulder.

"It's badly infected Daryl, you're lucky Cassie got you here when she did." Cassie was leant against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. "You can go rest up if you want Cass, I can take it from here," said Polly smiling at her. Cassie nodded and headed for the door and disappeared.

Polly finished cleaning up his shoulder and reapplied the stitches. "I'm sorry it was Cassie that found you," said Polly, smiling a little.

"What?" he was confused and raised an eyebrow at her.

"We have a no violence unless necessary rule here, we're a kind community, Cass struggles with that, she's not much of a people person, mainly keeps to her own. She has a bit of a temper and isn't the most sympathetic, she's been like that her entire life. She has a heart of gold but finds it hard to get that across to people and she often appears hostile. But she brought you back here, she never brings other survivors back, you must be special." explained Polly, her accent was fascinating to him. Daryl just snorted in response, he didn't know what to say to that. "Anyway, you get some rest, you look exhausted." Polly drew the curtains and left him alone with his thoughts.

Daryl didn't have much time to think because sleep engulfed him and he was out. The last thing that crossed his mind was Carol, was she ok and where the hell was she?


	6. Chapter 6

**Hope you're enjoying it so far, each chapter brings us one step closer to knowing where Carol is! In this chapter we meet a character from the comics... Well, two. We meet two ;) Sorry for any typos!**

Daryl tossed in his sleep and woke up dripping in sweat, his hair sticking to his forehead. He looked around, the room was dark and the only sound was the sound of the clock ticking on the wall opposite him. The nightmares were haunting him again, all he could think about was Negan and the people he has let down, Denise, Rick, Glenn, Beth, Carol. He stopped at Carol's name and rolled onto his side. Daryl had lost all hope, Carol was most likely dead or too far gone for him to even have a chance at finding her. It'd been a month since Carol had fled Alexandria and shit hit the fan. Daryl took a deep breath and let out a sigh. He reached over to the table and grabbed the glass of water that was placed there and gulped the lot. He shut his eyes again and drifted off.

Daryl woke at the sound of people shuffling around and whispering. He opened his eyes and noticed that the empty glass of water had been replaced and there was a sandwich placed on his bedside. He lifted his head to look around, the curtains were still drawn and there was no one in sight. He listened to the muffled voices coming from the other side of the room. Daryl sat up and drank some water. "Morning Daryl," said Polly cheerfully, peeping her head around the curtain. "How you feeling this morning?" she asked, entering the room and taking some white pills out of a small box. She placed the pills in Daryl's palm and he took them without question, he trusted this lady, he didn't know why but he had a good feeling about her. "Would you mind if I take a look and change your dressing?" she asked sitting on the best next to him gesturing towards his shoulder. He shook his head and played with his thumbs whilst Polly got to work.

"How ya related to Cassie? Said you'd known her all her life?" Daryl asked breaking the silence.

"She's my goddaughter. Cassie's mother was my best friend. Negan killed all of Cassie's family in front of her," said Polly looking glum as she took the dressing off and then looked mildly impressed by the wound's healing already. Polly looked up at Daryl and met his gaze, "she was damaged already but losing her family changed her. Have you lost people Daryl?" Daryl thought about everyone the group had lost since the beginning, from losing people like Jim and Jacqui back in Atlanta to losing Glenn just a few weeks ago and everyone in between. Thoughts of Carol creeped into his mind and he felt his eyes start to water up, he looked down to avoid her gaze. "I'm sorry, that bold of me to say, I shouldn't have."

"It's okay," said Daryl sniffing a little and giving her a half hearted smile. The moment was interrupted when Cassie walked in.

"You look less like shit now. Sleep well?" she said to Daryl placing her hands on her hips. Daryl just nodded and glanced at Polly and then back to Cassie. "I've informed our leader that you are in our care, he would like to speak with you once you are up on your feet."

"I'm ready now," said Daryl sitting up straighter.

"You sure, you're still very weak," said Polly looking concerned.

"I want answers," he said simply. The truth was that he was feeling better and he wanted to know more about The Kingdom, about their alliance with Hilltop and how much they know about Negan.

Polly found him some clean clothes to wear and he slipped them on. He followed Cassie through the school building and saw the signs that were leading to the auditorium. Cassie pushed the double metal doors open and started down the stairs. The room was dark but the stage was partly lit, highlighting a large chair in the middle with a man sitting in it, one leg crossed with his ankle resting on his knee. He was holding a chain in one hand but Daryl couldn't make out where it lead or what it was attached to. In the other hand, he was holding a spear, much larger than the one's that the others used but it was similar and looked like it had been made by Hilltop. Daryl followed Cassie down the stairs through the aisle of the tiered seating. She haunted in front of the stage, Daryl stopping a few steps behind her.

"Cassandra." said the man.

"Ezekiel," she replied, bowing her head slightly and smiling a little. "This is Daryl, the man I was telling you about." Ezekiel's eyes shifted from Cassie to Daryl, his dark eyes roaming him. Ezekiel was a tall man with dark skin and eyes and white dreadlocks that hung loosely around his shoulders. The man had a lot of presence about him and definitely looked like a leader. Daryl shifted his weight from one foot to the other, trying not to appear nervous.

"Step forward please Daryl," Daryl did so and Cassie stepped back and took a seat in the front row of the tiered seating. "From what I understand you have been in Polly's care, marvellous woman don't you agree?" Daryl didn't respond just looked at Ezekiel. "Looking at you, it's hard to believe that you were close to death just yesterday. You're a fighter Daryl, a survivor."

"You don't know me," said Daryl, growling a little. He was annoyed that everyone kept saying they knew him when they didn't know a damn thing.

"Feisty too, you'd make a good warrior," said Ezekiel calmly ignoring Daryl's growl. Daryl scowled a little, he wasn't up for playing games. Cassie was smirking behind him, trying not to laugh.

"You don't know jack shit!" Daryl said forcefully, stepping up the steps to the stage. Daryl heard a grumble from the shadows behind the chair, the chain started moving. Daryl frowned and watched as the chain moved more. "Fuck!" yelled Daryl, stepping back off the stage, and almost running backwards. Ezekiel chuckled to himself and Cassie watched Daryl whilst laughing at him.

"I said he had an extraordinary pet," she smirked slumping into the chair and kicking her legs out and crossing one over the other. Daryl shot her a death glare and then focused his attention to the creature before him. Attached to the chain was a fully grown Bengal tiger. Daryl was hoping this was just another nightmare and he'd wake up back in Alexandria. He pinched his forearm and noticed that he was in fact awake and that there was a man sitting in front of him with a tiger on a leash. The tiger bares its teeth at him and growled.

"Shiva, that's enough," said Ezekiel tugging on the chain a little.

"The hell is this place?" asked Daryl, he was not impressed and wanted to leave right away.

"We are The Kingdom," said Ezekiel rising to his feet, Shiva at his side. "We are a community of survivors. Cassie mentioned that you know of Hilltop and of Jesus," Daryl nodded "we have been in alliance with Hilltop since pretty much the beginning but we have been out of contact for about two months because Negan's men have been keeping a close eye on them. Where is it that you are from Daryl, sorry I didn't catch your last name?" said Ezekiel smiling again.

"Dixon." said Daryl sharply. "I'm from a place called the Alexandria Safe Zone," he said squaring his shoulders and standing taller.

"The Safe Zone? That's not far from here," said Cassie from behind him, sitting upright in her chair. Daryl turned to look at her but Ezekiel piped up.

"We've been wanting to set up an alliance with Alexandria for a while now, is it something that your community would be interested in?"

"It ain't up to me," Daryl was getting frustrated now.

"Very well. You know Daryl, the safe zone is about 25 miles from here, you can go home when you're fit to travel but we'd want something in return for us helping you. We're good people but not everything comes free, or you can choose to stay and repay us by joining our warriors, we could use a man like you," explained Ezekiel moving backwards to sit in his throne, Shiva the tiger lying down at his feet, her eyes not leaving Daryl.

"What'd you want in return if I were to go home?"

"What has Alexandria got to offer?" asked Ezekiel, Daryl was frustrated, he wanted to be asking the questions.

"You'd have to talk to Rick, he can decide what to offer you."

"Excellent. Now go get some rest, you look shattered Daryl, let me know what you decide."

Daryl turned and marched back up the stairs, Cassie not far behind. His blood was boiling but he couldn't understand why, this community had helped him, nursed him back to health and are letting him go once he is well. Having an alliance with another community would be helpful if they ever had to face Negan again but there was something deep within Daryl that made him want to stay, it certainly wasn't Cassie because she was a piece of work and he didn't care for Polly enough. It was something that he had stirring in his stomach that was telling him to stay, at least for a little while.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7! Hope you enjoy! Once again sorry, for any typos!**

Daryl stormed back into the ward and to the bed he was staying in and braced himself against the counter, sucking the air deeply through his teeth. He didn't even know why he was mad. The confusion of everything and the upset of losing Carol and leaving the group was a lot to bare and he was finally channelling out the emotion as anger. Daryl heard footsteps behind him knowing full well who it was. "A fucking tiger? This place has got to be a joke right?" Daryl turned to face Cassie who was standing with her hands on her hips smirking at him.

"She's gorgeous isn't she?" she said shooting him a grin which made him clench is fists which began to turn white. "So you gonna stay?" she asked. Daryl looked at her and frowned slightly, he didn't know what to do anymore, he needed The Kingdom's help to find his way home and to help him recover, his injury was no way near healed.

Daryl gave a gentle nod before saying "until I'm healed, then I'm going home," he said simply, and then walking towards to bed and collapsing. Cassie didn't respond she just watched him, he was an odd character and she was amused and fascinated by him at the same time.

X

A week passed, Daryl didn't leave the ward, only stood up to stretch his legs and use the showers and the toilet. His shoulder was healing well and he felt much stronger in himself.

"Checkmate," said Cassie looking up at him with a smug look on her face.

"You cheated," mumbled Daryl crossing his arms.

"I ain't cheating. You're just pissed that you lost... Again," she said laughing at him.

"Fuck you," responded Daryl, annoyed at yet again another loss.

The pair had grown closer over the past week, they were still weary of each other but a friendship was beginning to form. Cassie had spent a lot of time looking after him, helping Polly change his dressings when she was busy with other patients and Cassie would bring him food and keep him company even when he wanted her to go away. Daryl still didn't trust her entirely but she was decent enough that he put up with her.

Cassie packed away the chess set and stacked it on the shelf along with some other games and lots of books. "So Daryl," she started, Daryl rolled his eyes, more questions were about to be fired and he'd just about had enough "is there a woman in your life?" she wiggled her eyebrows at him and sat in the chair next to his bed. Her question made him feel as if someone had pulled his heart out of his chest. Yes. But he didn't know where the hell she was or if she's alive. Thoughts of Carol overpowered him and he glared at Cassie.

"Ain't none of your business," said Daryl harshly, wanting to drop the subject.

"So there is," she said sensing that he was lying and leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "Isn't she gonna be worried sick? Like you've been gone for weeks..." Cassie trailed off realising what she was saying, then it hit her. The missing person he was looking for was the one woman who has his heart. Cassie's expression softened and she twiddled her fingers. "I'm sorry," she said feeling guilty she had brought it up. "Is she the one you were out there searching for?" she wanted to be sure. Daryl simply nodded and looked down, he didn't want to talk about Carol to Cassie, it was hard for him, losing Carol had destroyed him and the not knowing if she was alive ate away at him every minute of everyday.

Polly entered at the right moment before Daryl lost it. "Cassie, I could use your help. Our patient in the next ward is ready to get up and move about, may need you as a support." Cassie nodded and stood, looking at Daryl apologetically before following Polly out of the men's ward, towards the woman's. Daryl stifled back a tear and lay back staring at the blank ceiling above him.

X

"Hey," said Polly pulling back the curtain and smiling "this is my goddaughter Cassie, she's going to help you up and get you moving if that's alright? I am much too old and am not much use, Cassie is strong," she said laughing a little. The woman nodded and sat up, pulling the blankets off her legs and sliding to the edge of the bed.

Cassie bent down and put her arm around the woman's back and guided her to her feet. Her legs were shaky and felt like jelly, she hadn't left the hospital bed in weeks and this was the first time she had attempted to walk on her own. She stood with Cassie steadying her slightly.

"That's it. You're stronger than I thought you were Carol, well done!" said Polly, pleased with the sight before her. Carol looked up to smile at her. Polly had been her carer since she and Morgan had been brought to The Kingdom, she had become close with Polly and she had helped her to overcome some of her personal demons, not all, Carol still had a long way to go but she had been given hope and was beginning to heal. The Kingdom would be a new start for Carol, a way to overcome her problems and set herself back on track.

"You good?" Cassie released Carol, as she adjusted to using her legs again, the pain from the gunshot wound in her leg was almost non existent and was nearly fully healed. Cassie's words reminded her of Daryl after she and Maggie had been captured by The Saviors. She thought of Daryl, the one person she loved most in this world, the one person she'd do anything for was gone from her life, she couldn't kill anymore and loving Daryl meant she'd had to kill and she just couldn't. That was partly her reason for leaving, the guilt inside her was just building and having to watch Daryl turn into what she had become killed her inside. He had remained good during all the shit they'd been through and it hurt her to see him admit that he shouldn't have spared a man's life. "Carol?" Cassie asked. Carol snapped back into reality, noticing that her mind had been wondering.

"Yeah, think I've got this," said Carol, sounding genuine. Her legs were still shaking her muscles already ached but it felt good to be mobile again. Carol took a few steps, Cassie close by her side and Polly's face beamed with happiness.

"Look at you, up and about," said a voice from the door. It was Morgan, he held his staff in one hand and watched Carol as she took tiny steps around the room. "How you feeling?"

"Shaky but it feels good," replied Carol smiling at him. She'd seen a change in Morgan since they arrived. He came to see her everyday to tell her about what he's been up to and to keep her company. Morgan had been spending a lot of time with Ezekiel, who Carol had met the night they arrived, the tiger was an odd sight but it fascinated her. Ezekiel had been teaching Morgan about The Kingdom way of doing things and what their philosophy is. The Kingdom was against violence unless it is required to protect the community or the people they love. Morgan had repeated this back to Carol, knowing that it'd affect her and would mean something to her. Carol was starting to understand that she does have to kill sometimes but she learning about when she doesn't have to. As well talking with Polly about things, was helping to get her mind back on track.

Carol lifted her arms and stretched, enjoying the feeling of movement. She felt much better, she'd been stuck in the hospital bed for weeks but now she could actually get out and see The Kingdom. Morgan said he had been appointed a job of Ezekiel's personal advisor and assistant, which Polly had said was an honour because Ezekiel had never had an assistant before. "Can I go shower?" asked Carol turning to Polly, she hadn't had a proper shower since she left Alexandria, she'd cleaned up with a cloth but she wasn't allowed to get her dressings wet.

Cassie fetched her a towel and a fresh change of clothes and showed her to the showers. "Holler if you need anything, you're still weak, I'll be right outside," said Cassie sounding soft. Carol liked Cassie, she reminded her of Daryl, heart of gold with a tough and rough exterior. Carol also saw a bit of Sophia in Cassie, they had similar features and she kind. She'd only met her as of about 15 minutes ago but so far, her impression was good.

"Thank you."

Carol stepped into the shower and switched on the hot water, the water poured over her giving her the sense of freedom and relief, she ran her fingers through her hair and she lingered in the hot stream of water for what seemed like forever. She stepped out and wrapped the towel around her body. Carol wiped the condensation off the mirror and looked at herself, she looked well. Healthy even, well rested and younger. Her gaze drifted to her arm where the scar of her gunshot wound was healing, she took a deep breath and released it out slowly.

"You ready?" said Cassie to Carol has she stepped out of the bathroom.

"Yeah." 

"Wanna see The Kingdom?" asked Cassie, sensing that Carol was closed off slightly.

"That'd be great," she said smiling at her. Cassie lead her back towards the women's ward where Carol dumped her old clothes and put her boots on. Cassie lead her out of the women's ward and passed the men's ward, she peered in as they passed and noticed Polly changing the dressing on a man's shoulder but she didn't stop to get a better look. Morgan joined them at the door of the school and the trio began walking. Cassie told Carol all about The Kingdom, she'd heard it from Morgan but it was nice to hear it from someone else.

"We've got cattle, sheep and pigs, so if you ever fancy a burger or anything, let me know and I can see what I can do. I have contacts," said Cassie winking at Carol. The Kingdom was much larger than it looked, surrounded by walls similar to that of Alexandria and the guards and 'Warriors' as they were know as carried spears and wore body armour. "During the winter, everybody moves into the school and takes camp in the old classrooms because it's warmer in there but during the summer, we are out here," she gestured to the sight before here, there were rows of tents and campfires dotted about. Someone was roasting a pig over a fire pit and Cassie smiled to Carol "Hog roast for dinner," Carol smiled back and they continued walking. The Kingdom was extraordinary, well put together and organised, everyone got along and it was a peaceful place.

"Ezekiel said that when you're ready, he'll get you a job if you'd be up for?" questioned Morgan as they walked side by side behind Cassie. Carol just nodded, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to stay, another group meant that she would get attached to people and she'd have to kill for them, she didn't know if she'd ever be able to do it again. "Whenever you're ready though, you take your time."

Cassie took them in a loop around The Kingdom and they returned to the front of the school. "Cassandra!" said Ezekiel exiting the building with Shiva by his side.

"Ezekiel," she responded, nodding to him.

"How are you feeling Carol? You look much better than when I first saw you."

"I feel better, it's good to be out of that bed," she laughed a little. A real laugh, one which she hadn't experienced in a long time.

"Cassie, Polly needs your help in the men's ward. His temper has gotten the better of him again, she said you can snap him out of it," said Ezekiel.

"Son of a bitch!" said Cassie, obviously frustrated. "I'll catch you later Carol," she turned and ran up the steps into the school and out of sight.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Carol wanting to be nosy.

"Gunshot wound through the shoulder, I'd say he is just fed up, probably a bit like you of being stuck inside, he's feisty and a survivor just like you," Ezekiel laughed it off. "Now, we're off for hog roast, will you be joining?" He said looking from Shiva to Morgan to Carol.

"I think I'm going to head back and get some rest, I'm feeling a bit tired," she wasn't lying, it'd been the busiest day she'd had since her arrival. Ezekiel nodded to her and he and Morgan started off in the direction of the camp. Carol sat down on the bottom of the steps, the sun was just starting to go down and the sky was turning orange but it was still bright out.

"He's just winding you up and can you fucking calm down, stop being a jackass!" she heard Cassie shout from inside, this was a side to Cassie she hadn't heard before, sharp and assertive.

"Fuck this, fuck you, I'm out," the voice sounded like a man who was clearly frustrated. More words were exchanged and the voices came closer to the door. Carol stood off the steps and looked up at the doors.

"You know what? Screw you Daryl! Ezekiel offered for you to stay here with us, he was winding you up, you need to let it go," Cassie sounded pissed. Cassie stormed out the front doors and hopped down the steps shaking her head. Carol was frozen, at the sound of Daryl's name, whether it was her Daryl or not, she couldn't help but wonder.

"Hey, this fight ain't over! I have-" Daryl stopped at the top of the steps. Carol.

"You have what Daryl? Things to sort out before you repay us?" Cassie mocked him slightly. She turned to look at him. He was frozen still at the top of the steps. He was staring at Carol who was staring right back at him. Cassie raised an eyebrow. Today had been a very weird day.

Daryl's lower lip began to shiver, and his hands were trembling, he started slowly down the steps taking the sight of her in, wanting to be sure it was her. Carol's fists knotted into the hem of her shirt and her legs felt like were about to collapse. Daryl then rushed to her and engulfed her squeezing her tight and cradling the back of her head. Carol had her arms firmly locked around his neck and rested her forehead against his shoulder breathing in the scent of him. He smelt like Daryl and she had missed him. Daryl couldn't stop the tears that fell, he cried into the curve of her neck. He never wanted to let her go ever again. He pulled back and moved his hands to cup her face between his palms and then rested him forehead against hers. "I thought you were dead," he said sniffing as he stood close to her, cupping her face. She rested her hands on his chest and breathed deeply.

"I'm not," replied Carol closing her eyes.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I am now," she responded, opening her eyes to look at him and then wiping a tear from his cheek with her thumb. Daryl felt relief wash over him at her response, and he lifted her face to meet his and he kissed her gently. She returned the favour and wrapped her arms around his neck whilst he snaked his arms around her waist pulling her close. They broke away and he pulled her into a hug, not willing to let her go.

"This your woman Daryl?" asked Cassie, a wide smile on her face, standing with her hands on her hips. Daryl looked up and glared at her.

"Piss off," he responded. Cassie just laughed at him.

"We have lots of room if you two wanted to go get a room? Room 121 is free, you can take that one," she said teasing him knowing how easy it was to wind him up.

"What did I just say to you?" he snapped back. She raised her hands in submission and laughed again before walking off.

"Don't forget we've got hog roast, but I take it you two won't be hungry after you're done." she said walking away quickly knowing full well that he may kill her for her distasteful joke. Carol felt Daryl's arms tense around her, Cassie knew exactly how to agitate him and she was good at it, hats off to her thought Carol. Carol giggled into his chest and he hugged her tighter. Carol knew that there were going to be hundreds of questions he was going to be asking her. She knew she would have to confess and tell him everything, about Lizzie, Terminus, Morgan and the Wolves. But for now, she savoured the moment, it was the first time she felt at ease in a long time.


End file.
